Could flu shot be connected to pmr?

I think that maybe you may need a higher dose of prednisone but you need to let your Rheumatologist know that this is not working for you as this may not be PMR which usually responds very swiftly to a high dose of Prednisone.  It took ages to diagnose me.  I’m surprised yours was diagnosed so quickly.  I do hope you get to feeling better soon.❤️

Carlene when I started my pred I felt tons better in a few days.  The euphoria did not last and I now feel very tired a great deal but the pain is pretty well suppressed.  Please talk to your Rheumatica ASAP.  You may not be on enough Pred but it could be something else.

My PMR was most likely caused by the shingles jab.  Consequently, I now won't touch a jab of any kind.  I had to start on 30mg with very high bloods.  No pain in year 2 so things do slowly get better and quality of life does improve.  Take heart.

Hi carlene22578

Perhaps you should give it a bit longer to get results. You have only been on them 4 days. Give it a week + ...my pain didn't go for a week or more...my best wishes to you carlene23578..

Hi Carlene22578

I agree with Lilian to give the Pred a bit longer to work......I was started on 15mg and it was seven days before I got relief. And then I was so energised it was wonderful! I wish id found help from the forum then about tapering etc. Hang in there for a little while and I hope life improves for you soon. 

Best wishes

linda

Hi Carlene - I was in a lot of pain, felt like I’d been in a car crash after my normal exercise, and had to winch myself in and out of the car because of the pain in my groin. My response to Pred wasn’t typical. 15mg didn’t work but 25mg did although it took nearly a week to kick in. This was in June and I’m using the slow method to taper - now at 16mg. My GP thought I would react faster and feel great but because of this Forum I persevered and I’m glad I did. I’d certainly chat it through and try a higher dose before giving up. Good luck, we know how you feel!

Sometimes the flu shot is the final straw that sends the immune system into a tail spin. It is felt to be long term stresses on the immune system that mount up and it stops working properly, being unable to recognised yur body as self and attacking the tissues. This actually applies in all autoimmune disorders and the label you get depends on the symptoms you have - and a little bit to what medications you respond to. In the case of PMR as we talk about it here it is pred, nothing else. But PMR is just the name we give to the set of symptoms - and they can be caused by a range of other illnesses, including inflammatory arthritides. One of the characteristics felt to apply to "just" PMR is the rapid response to a moderate dose of pred - and it doesn't happen in other forms of inflammation.

As has been said - maybe you aren't on quite high enough a dose or need a bit longer. Some people do need a week or more - usually because the dose they are on isn't quite enough. But it needs to be discussed with your doctor.